It was a
split tour with the one-day series against Australia
and India
played after New Year.The Sri Lankans
lost both Tests against Australia.Before the tour it was asked why they were
not offered to play three Test matches and one of them in Melbourne where a large contingent of Sri
Lankans emigres live.

The team
underperformed until, chasing a victory target of 507 in the Hobart Test, the
Lankan second innings reached 410 all out. Unfortunately, ICC umpire Rudi
Koertzen made a controversial decision to give Sangakkara out which
extinguished the tourists’ chance of victory.

Marvan
Atapattu was not originally chosen for the tour and included only after a
request made by Sri Lanka's
sports minister. Following an outburst during the first Test in which he
called the selectors "a bunch of muppets headed by a joker", Sri
Lanka Cricket decided to postpone any disciplinary action and not to send him
home but Marvan announced his retirement from playing international cricket
at the end of the tour.

Muttiah
Muralitharan anticipated receiving a hostile reception as he had on previous
tours from crowds because of his bowling action. In 1995-96 Darrell Hair had no-balled
Murali in a Test at Melbourne
and in 1998-99 Ross Emerson no-balled him at the Adelaide Oval, sparking a
walk-off led by the skipper Arjuna Ranatunga.Nothing happened on field but members of the Sri Lankan camp were the
target of verbal abuse in Hobart
when Muralitharan was part of a group walking from a restaurant to the team
hotel. The on-tour selector was hit on the back by an egg, later condemning security
provided by Cricket Australia
for the team.

Returning
in January, Sri Lanka
were knocked out of the Commonwealth Bank tri-series. They ended the tour on
a brighter note with a consolation victory against Australia in the final match,
only to find they were being penalised for a slow over rate.

In July
2007 Gamini Lokuge, the Sri Lankan
sports minister announced that Ashantha de Mel would remain in charge of
the National Selection Committee.

Selection

UnavailableMarvan Atapattu declined to play in the
home Test series against Bangladesh
and informed the selectors that he was unable to attend a meeting to discuss
his availability for the tour down-under. They announced that Jayasuriya
would take his place. Upul Chandana announced his retirement from
international cricket in September 2007.

Tour party announced 5 October 2007.

Stand
bys:Tillekeratne Dilshan and Nuwan Kulasekara.

On 18 October the selectors decided to include former captain
Marvan Atapattu in the team following the request from the Minister of Sports
and Recreation.Atapattu agreed to
make himself available.

Time between selection and departure from Sri Lanka

18 days

(5 October to 23 October)

Travel

ColomboQSydney

The team
left Colombo for Sydney on Tuesday 23 October 2007, and then on to Adelaide,
arriving on Wednesday morning 24 October to play a hastily-arranged extra tour
match against a Chairman’s XI to prepare for the Test series.